“Kwame Kilpatrick will be given a very serious sentence; I’d say between 20 and possibly more — maybe like 30 years ,” Langton said. “The reason is because of the impact of the crime. He was convicted of racketeering. It cost the city millions of dollars, and he had a fair and square trial.”

Langton says the lawyers will make sentencing recommendations and the judge has a lot of flexibility.

During five months of testimony, the government proved that Kilpatrick fixed contracts in a “pay to play” scheme that favored Ferguson. They argued, while mayor, Kilpatrick accepted bribes and abused a nonprofit fund, enjoying a lavish lifestyle while his constituents suffered.

Kilpatrick asked the judge to throw out his conviction, claiming he was the victim of media bias and a bad lawyer. However, according to a statewide survey conducted following the trial, a majority of voters believed that the verdict was “just and fair,” while 16 percent thought Kilpatrick “got off easy.”

Kwame Kilpatrick’s father, Bernard Kilpatrick, was acquitted of a racketeering charge but found guilty of a single tax charge. He remains free on bond, awaiting a sentencing for which a date has not yet been set.